Each wildflower exudes power and movement. They come to life on the skin, instinctively embracing its curves and roughness. Flourishing and creeping, GueT’s flowers extend and scatter along the body’s contours.Based at Alchemink in Lyon, GueT has drawn inspiration from his passions for graffiti, botany, and electronic music to create these floral combinations with varied textures.
When did you discover tattooing, and what made you decide to make it your profession?
I have always been fascinated by tattoos. As a teenager, I looked at biker books because they featured some tattoos, and I found them fascinating since I couldn’t find tattoo-specific books. I never thought it could be a career because I didn’t understand what happened during sessions. It was only after a trip to Polynesia, where I got a large knee piece from Purotu, that things changed. We had many exchanges because I visited him several times before getting the tattoo. He told me I should become a tattoo artist. “If you want, I can show you a few things.” I hadn’t considered it because I didn’t understand the tattoo technique, and I didn’t think my work would interest people. Parallel to this, during my adolescence, I was a graffiti artist in the Paris region. I was always immersed in graffiti and never thought I could combine the two. Graphically, there was some inspiration. I thought maybe I could do graffiti on people. I picked up my markers again, worked hard on drawing for quite some time, and tried to adapt my graffiti style to the tattoo spirit. I had to deviate graphically to fit into the tattoo culture. It was something that didn’t exist much; you didn’t know if there would be a potential clientele. Graffiti is very particular; it doesn’t necessarily interest everyone.
How did you learn to tattoo?
I learned in my room. I went to see Patman to ask if he was looking for an apprentice. He wasn’t, but he told me that with my graphic style and unique touch, I should practice on friends. I practiced on pigskins and oranges for a few months, then tattooed my friends and family.
Did any tattoo artists give you advice?
Yes, Léon Lam was really a mentor for me. Not necessarily in terms of learning techniques. He helped me enormously in terms of philosophy, work ethic, and learning to break the codes and build my own universe. The technique came gradually by observing other tattoo artists at conventions, for example.
Was it difficult being self-taught? Why?
I am self-taught in everything I have done. It’s very hard because it’s slow, and you must not get discouraged. It takes a long time to learn to tattoo properly. You need to experiment and practice a lot.
Where did you start working afterward?
On Léon’s advice, I only tattooed in atypical places. A friend of mine worked in film studios on the outskirts of Paris, and I tattooed there in the evenings after my job. I also tattooed a lot in apartments lent to me or hotel rooms. I allowed myself to tattoo in these places because when Léon first tattooed me, he received me in a glass blower’s workshop in the Paris region. For me, tattooing was in a super sterile salon, but he had a small room set up in the workshop. I thought, okay, so we can do that too. Ultimately, it’s reassuring to know that there are many possibilities and that you don’t have to fit into the traditional tattoo setting.
Meanwhile, you were also making music. Can you tell me more?
I’ve been a DJ since I was sixteen and haven’t really stopped. I had a long period of about twenty-five years where I played a lot and toured extensively. I released a few records, started a music label with friends, and produced a lot of electronic music (techno, house, etc.).
Were these two practices complementary? What link do you make between tattooing and music?
It’s a strong need to express things that can’t necessarily be expressed with words. I don’t talk much generally, and I’ve used music a lot to convey emotions. This completely aligns with tattooing, where I draw lines that express an emotion. When I draw, always with music, I’ve noticed that I tend to listen to the same type of music. When I tattoo, the style of music I listen to greatly influences the dynamics of the lines. If I listen to house or techno, my lines will be very different from if I listen to drum and bass; I’ll let loose more. In terms of dynamics, for example, the explosion of petals.
How has your style evolved over the years?
I started with small flowers and quickly felt limited by an A4 sheet. It became much larger, and I noticed it suited people’s morphologies very well. You think it’s always the same, but it’s not. There’s always a tiny detail, lines, petals, always a little evolution with each tattoo. It’s a continuous progression.
So why all these wildflowers?
By working and finding ways to express myself outside graffiti. In my multiple lives, I worked in botany, so I’m already knowledgeable about flowers and conduct my research. For hours and hours. I visit all the botanical gardens around the world. When I travel, I take photos from all angles. The flowers I create, on the scale of a body, are like macrophotography! You go from a flower that’s three centimeters to one that’s a meter twenty.
How do you find balance between different textures?
It’s a bit instinctive. I try to create balance between line textures and point textures so that it’s not too heavy in one place. There need to be petals that are highlighted, petals with textures, and petals with dots. Everything must be balanced and harmonious. I have only one rule: no two petals with dots should overlap. This is my ultimate rule for readability and to add a little extra graphic touch.
Are there any reference artists who inspired you? In graffiti or tattooing?
One of my primary artists is Mode 2, a graffiti artist from the ’90s who worked a lot with NTM. He’s very well-known in the tattoo world. There’s also the German artist DAIM with a lot of dynamics, going in all directions. These are my two reference graffiti artists. There’s also Georges Mathieu, a contemporary artist from the ’70s-80s who designed one side of the « ten-franc coin ». He inspired the entire graffiti scene.
What project would you like someone to propose to you? Something a bit crazy that challenges you?
I’d like to do big projects like half-bodies or full bodies. Bigger and bigger, so that it really fits the morphology of people. @guet
